From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Fri Oct 1 14:47:25 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Fri, 1 Oct 2010 16:47:25 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Art Beyond Sight Month Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8380C79709E@mail1> Forwarding from Art Beyond Sight The full alert can be found at the following address http://www.artbeyondsight.org/change/aw-emailalerts.shtml THE EIGHTH ANNUAL ART BEYOND SIGHT AWARENESS MONTH On Exhibit Hove Museum and Art Gallery, Brighton, England Touching Art Touching You: Blind Art Permanent Collection Touching Art Touching You breaks traditional barriers by actively encouraging visitors to experience art through touch and other senses. The exhibition is designed to challenge the notion that sight is essential for creating and enjoying exceptional art, and includes paintings, sculptures and installations from the Permanent Collection of BlindArt. Visitors to the exhibition raved about the show, calling it "mind bending" and telling reviewers that "touching the work added another dimension to the usual event of looking at art." BlindArt is dedicated to making the visual arts accessible to visitors with sight loss. The nonprofit organization promotes contemporary works by visually impaired and sighted artists by showcasing them side-by-side, challenging the public to tell the difference. All works in this exhibition are made accessible to a diverse audience through touch, audio description, and large-print and Braille labels. For more information on the Museum, Gallery, and Collection, visit http://www.blindart.net/permanent-collection Written by Drew Smith News Reel Going Blind Joe Lovett, Director Joseph Lovett founded Lovett Productions in 1989 after ten years as a producer at ABC News 20/20. Concentrating on health and social issues, the company has produced more than 30 hours of prime time television specials in the past 19 years. Individuals who are visually impaired are featured in Going Blind, making it a unique documentary film that increases public awareness of sight loss and low vision issues that seriously affect 37 million people worldwide. The documentary film director is one of those 37 million ? he has glaucoma, and over time, Lovett has been confronted with the challenge of increasingly impaired vision. His loss of sight prompted him to create Going Blind, and he began to talk with people who have also experienced visual impairment in a wide variety of ways. The personal significance of the topic for Lovett marks a transition for him as a director. "This is the first film where the issue was my own. You always want to be honest in your reporting, but with myself as a subject, I was particularly conscious of my tone," he says. In making the documentary, Going Blind, Lovett interweaves his personal story with those of others he meets along the way ? some, strangers he encountered on the street. In the process documenting the lives of his subjects, the director found that the people he talked to had a deep affect on him personally. In particular, Lovett noted that "meeting Jessica Jones right at the beginning of the project was life changing. The way she deals with life so fully and her perspective on things really helped lower my anxieties. Her comment that 'You learn to use what you have' was a big 'Aha!' moment for me." All of the individuals in Going Blind have a starkly different take and message on the challenges of vision loss from that of the others. What is Lovett 's message? To follow the advice of Steve Baskis and understand that "sight loss is a challenge that can be met with the right training and technology." Going Blind will open in New York City at the Quad Cinema (13th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues) on October 8th and will run through World Sight Day on October 14. For more information or to order the film, visit http://goingblindmovie.com/synopsis/index.html. Interview by Drew Smith OUR NEXT ISSUE WILL INCLUDE INFORMATION ON PROJECT ACCESS: A NATIONAL DATABASE OF ACCESSIBLE ARTS INSTITUTIONS. -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Mon Oct 4 06:56:14 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 08:56:14 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Monica and David - AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND AUDIO DESCRIPTION PROJECT Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8380C79709F@mail1> Forwarding - AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND AUDIO DESCRIPTION PROJECT TUNE IN! ... to an important upcoming event, a collaborative effort between HBO Documentary and the American Council of the Blind (ACB Radio and ACB's Audio Description Project). THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 8:00 pm, EST Worldwide on ACB Radio: www.acbradio.org/world Monica and David is an award-winning documentary film by Alexandra Codina. It explores the marriage of two adults with Down syndrome and the family who strives to support their needs. Monica and David are blissfully in love and want what other adults have-an independent life. Full of humor, romance and everyday family drama, the film uses intimate fly-on-the wall footage to reveal the complexity of their story. While Monica and David are capable beyond expectations, their parents, aware of mainstream rejection of adults with intellectual disabilities, have trouble letting go. For more information on the film-winner of the "Best Documentary Feature" award at the Tribeca Film Festival-please visit www.monicaanddavid.com. The film will have its broadcast premiere on HBO on Thursday, October 14 at 8:00 pm, EST. Description lovers worldwide can enjoy the soundtrack with audio description via an audio stream on ACB Radio, also beginning at 8:00 pm, EST, on Thursday, October 14. Simply go to www.acbradio.org/world to listen in to the film with description crafted by ACB's Audio Description Project, produced in close collaboration with director Codina and streamed on ACB Radio with special thanks to HBO Documentary. For more information, contact Joel Snyder at ACB's Audio Description Project at jsnyder at acb.org or 202 467-5083. Follow ACB's Audio Description Project at: www.acb.org/adp http://www.facebook.com/pages/Audio-Description-Project-of-the-American-Council-of-the-Blind/117818772193 -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Thu Oct 7 09:25:23 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Thu, 7 Oct 2010 11:25:23 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] [accessibleimage] Fw: Announcement from Blind Artists Society Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A838203BD1D5@mail1> Forwarding: Group: Blind Artists Society Subject: Announcement from Blind Artists Society Please join us for an evening of art, beverages, and hors d?oeuvres celebrating the artists of the Blind Artists Society and Northeastern Association of the Blind (NABA). FUNDRAISING GALA The Arts Center of the Capital Region 265 River Street, Troy, NY 12180 OCTOBER 7 , 2 0 1 0 For information and tickets please call 518-463-1211 Cost $50 / Person Posted By Paul Beer -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From fnugg at online.no Mon Oct 11 15:39:06 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 17:39:06 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Turkey: Blind photographer Message-ID: <4CB32F9A.2040906@online.no> Blind photographer: ?The photographs I want to see the most are the ones of my son? "Civan ?lici If I asked, ?Can a blind person take a photograph?? I am sure many would say ?no.? I used to think the same way until I met C?van ?lici, Turkey?s first blind photographer. ?lici, who first picked up a camera as part of the Blind Photographers Project in 2007, has been taking pictures of beautiful images that he can?t see ever since. He photographs of all kinds of subjects, including the sky, the sea, a young girl selling flowers and trees. But the images he most desires to see the most are those of his son, Ege Arda. ?If I could, I would want to see my son?s face and the books that I have read,? he said. Nowadays ?lici is waiting for his exhibition, titled ?I am looking at ?stanbul with my eyes closed,? to open at the soon-to-be-established Museum of the Blind. It would be an injustice to only mention ?lici?s skills as a photographer because he also has countless other talents. He graduated from Bo?azi?i University?s psychology department and is currently a researcher at the same department. He is also a cultural psychologist who provides opportunities for visually impaired people in Turkey to learn how to use computer technologies and he conducts psychological analyses of obstacles the visually impaired face. During my interview with ?lici, Turkey?s first blind photographer, I felt a little uncomfortable using the world ?blind.? But in a cool, calm and happy manner he told me to relax and said the word doesn?t really signify anything. First pictures were of garbage bins Nuri Kaya, the director of the Blind Photographers Project, approached ?lici in 2007 and asked him to take some photographs. Explaining why the first thing he decided to photograph was a garbage bin, ?lici said: ?As a person who can?t see, I used to wait a long time before I could cross the street. And while I waited, the smell from the garbage bin would accompany me. Just like how people avoid garbage bins because they smell, they try to avoid us because we are blind. Garbage bins relentlessly wait in the same place without complaining. So do we. There is something mystical about waiting. Waiting is meaningful.? This is how ?lici?s journey in photography began. After taking some photography lessons at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, he took a big step towards realizing a life-long dream. ?lici had been writing poetry from a young age and had always been interested in literature and art. ?There were many things inside of me that I wanted to express. But words were not enough for me to express them. I started contemplating whether there were others way in which I could express myself. Then Kaya came to me with this project. I decided I could express myself much better through photographs,? he said. Noting that his perspective on life, literature, poetry and art changed once he started taking photographs, ?lici said he believes a photograph is a visual art that represents the unseen parts of an iceberg and that photographs are comprised of imagination and ideas. The ability to see imprisons people Making the comment that he feels sorry for people who can see, ?lici said ability to see imprisons people in a world of concrete images, materialism and light. ?The ability to see is a large prison in which people are kept captive. Because they are imprisoned its very difficult for them to understand life, to appreciate what God has given them, to appreciate their abilities and to understand what they can do.? He explained that he has often been asked whether he would want to be able to see and what he would want to see. But he only took the question seriously when his 7-year-old son Ege Arda asked it. His response to his son was truly meaningful and moving. ?lici tearfully said what he wants to see the most is his son?s face and the books that he has read or wants to read. Aside from these two things, he said would also like to see the photographs he has taken. But ?lici does not hold on to the photographs he takes. ?A photographer who can see can touch, view and keep his photographs. But mine slip through my hands and it makes me feel like I have lost a child,? he says as the words get stuck in his throat. I am looking at ?stanbul with my eyes closed The Blind Photographers Project is expected to evolve into an exhibition that will be displayed in the Museum of the Blind, to be established sometime in the next few years. While speaking of the museum, it is evident that this is a very exciting project for ?lici. Photographs on exhibit will constitute images of ?stanbul taken by 100 people who are totally blind. The exhibition will be titled ?I am looking at ?stanbul with my eyes closed? and around 200 academics and journalists -- including ?skender Pala, Ali Ural, Adalet A?ao?lu, Ece Temel Kuran, Sunay Ak?n -- are expected to write about the photographs. The photographs and the texts will be placed side by side. The texts will be in Braille to provide two different methods of seeing. While those who can see the photographs will most likely not be able to read the text, those who can read the text will most likely not be able to see the photograph. The exhibition will highlight themes of blindness, life, art, city perceptions and methods of seeing." http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-223974-101-blind-photographer-the-photographs-i-want-to-see-the-most-are-the-ones-of-my-son.html From fnugg at online.no Mon Oct 11 16:16:51 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:16:51 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Blind Use Visual Parts of Brain to Improve Other Senses Message-ID: <4CB33873.2060205@online.no> Article and audio report from Voice of America *Blind* Use Visual Parts of Brain to Improve Other Senses excerpt Blind Use Visual Parts of Brain to Improve Other Senses Their sense of touch and sound exceeds people who can see A new study helps explain why blind people seem to have advanced perception of sound and touch. People who have been blind from birth use visual parts of their brain to hone their sense of sound and touch, according to new research. These keen senses could be used to help the blind better navigate their world, according to Georgetown University professor Josef Rauschecker. The new study has added another piece to the puzzle as scientists learn more about how the brains of blind people work. Years ago, scientists began to learn that certain parts of the brain were dedicated to certain purposes. One section was in charge of breathing; another dealt with the sense of smell. Then came the realization that the brain was changeable - or "plastic" - and could sometimes reorganize itself when conditions required. Rauschecker has been studying the question: Could that account for the idea that blind people compensate for their vision loss by improving their other senses? "Just think of Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, so many," he says. "Andrea Bocelli, if you prefer classical music." In previous research, Rauschecker and other scientists have found that in blind people, the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes sight, can be used to process sound and touch. But that visual cortex is itself divided into discrete modules that perform different visual functions. "Now, the question is: do blind people have that same or similar functional organization, that these modules actually stay put and just get re-dedicated to touch and hearing? And the answer is yes," says Rauschecker. To come up with that answer, the researchers used a functional MRI scanner to visualize brain activity as blind people in the study experienced various tactile and audible sensations. The scientists could see what part of the brain was being used to process the sensory inputs. For example, when stereo sounds were used to simulate a three-dimensional space, the brain's spatial module was activated, as it would be in a sighted person. Rauschecker says this study and earlier research has enabled collaborators to build a prototype device to process images taken by a camera into sensations that could be used by a blind person wearing it. Joseph Rauschecker and colleagues describe their work in the journal Neuron. Find this article at: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/health/Blind-Use-Visual-Parts-of-Brain-to-Improve-Other-Senses-104571639.html http://www.voanews.com/english/news/health/Blind-Use-Visual-Parts-of-Brain-to-Improve-Other-Senses-104571639.html From fnugg at online.no Mon Oct 11 17:53:40 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:53:40 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] RNIB, HaptiMap, Touchable Art, Touch-based navigation Message-ID: <4CB34F24.2090906@online.no> link to RNIB tactile books http://www.rnib.org.uk/shop/Pages/Category.aspx?Category=tactile_books_tactus http://www.rnib.org.uk/shop/Pages/Category.aspx?Category=tacitle_books_fingerfun link The Blind Point of View http://www.netsquared.org/projects/blind-point-view link HaptiMap - Haptic, Audio and Visual Interfaces for Maps and Location Based Services excerpt "Multimodality is a useful addition for navigation applications, allowing transfer of information from the relatively overloaded visual sense to hearing and touch. However, unless well understood the use of touch and sound can be annoying. In HaptiMap we are looking at ways to effectively employ touch and hearing to make map and navigation applications more useful and engaging as well as more accessible to users with impairments. During the first year the project focused on user studies and on laying the foundations for the implementation work. In HaptiMap we use and advocate an iterative and user-centred design methodology where end users are involved all through the work process and where designs and prototypes are tested iteratively. The focus of the project as a whole during this first year has been the user studies. In order to get a full picture of the relevant issues we have used a range of techniques that involve questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, probe studies, workshops, and contextual tests. 221 users were involved in the first year activities, where 83 were sighted, 72 visually impaired and 66 elderly. In addition, 188 users answered a web questionnaire. Our studies of severely visually impaired, elderly and sighted users indicate general similarities in the types of information all people need, although we observe that in general visually impaired users require a higher level of detail. We have explored both goal directed navigation and other more exploratory situations, since appliances supporting navigation may be used in both scenarios. The contemporary lack of a proper solution for pedestrian navigation was apparent throughout our current studies. " http://www.vector1media.com/articles/features/16062-haptimap-haptic-audio-and-visual-interfaces-for-maps-and-location-based-services Amazing Painting Of A Blind Artist The story of this blind artist is extraordinary and unbelievable. Professional CPA with a photographic memory, Lisa Fittipaldi lost her vision due to a vascular disease in 1993. She lost her job too, but overcame blindness and began painting in 1995. Her paintings are so colorful and bright; it's hard to believe that they were drawn by a blind person who can't even see colors or distance. The main challenge to Lisa was when she was told she could never create complex scenes of everyday life with people as main characters. But she managed to do so, and today her paintings are exhibited in museums and galleries around the world. Fittipaldi is a unique artist with an amazing inner vision. You can judge for yourself after the jump. http://vivajoyhealthclub.wordpress.com/2010/10/10/amazing-painting-of-a-blind-artist/ article ANCHORAGE, Alaska --- The Out North Theater is hosting "Feelings 2: A Touchable Art Show." It's the first exhibit in 10 years geared for the visually impaired. Sight-impaired clients of the Alaska Center for the Blind explored the exhibit Thursday. The artwork is all tactile, and some pieces even tell a story or include hidden messages or jokes. "Most people think that people are blind can't see anything, and most people that are blind can see quite a bit, and maybe sometimes even have 20-20, but just a small field that they can see in," said curator Lowell Zercher. "So even they can enjoy the colors and the shapes, but they also get to touch it." The exhibit will be on display until Sunday. http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-art-exhibit-visually-impaired-100710,0,7513819.story article TOUCHABLE ART 9th Annual Tactile Art Show at St. Augustine Art Association The St. Augustine Art Association will host the 9th Annual Tactile Art Show through Oct. 28 in the Main Gallery, at 22 Marine St. Students from the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind help prepare the exhibit by creating Braille labels for each work of art. During their visits to tour the exhibit, the FSDB students will be working on art projects for children at Wolfson Hospital. articlehttp://staugustine.com/entertainment/arts/2010-10-08/touchable-art Westmoreland museum takes creative approach in tour for visually impaired Wearing a pair of white gloves, Cindy Morrow reached down to move her hands over the smooth bronze form of a reclining cat. "It felt like the artist got it right," she said. "The position was right -- perfect. You can imagine it's a real cat." Morrow, 45, of Acme has been blind since she was a baby, but she and two other clients of the Westmoreland County Blind Association used their other senses to explore the Westmoreland Museum of American Art on Thursday. Sighted people, she said, may not realize that there are other ways to appreciate art. "They don't think about it," she said, "but I think about it a lot -- touch and hearing." It was the first time the museum, on North Main Street in Greensburg, was asked to organize a tour for visually impaired people, said Maureen Zang, the museum's public programs coordinator. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_703356.html article excerpt Mill Creek Elementary student wins national art contest COLUMBIA --- Madisyn Hinkebein doesn't know what the art of Wassili Kandinsky looks like exactly, but you wouldn't know it from looking at her winning art piece. The Columbia School Board recognized Madisyn, 6, as the first place winner in the preschool/kindergarten category of American Printing House's national 19th Annual Blind InSights 2010: Visions from the Mind art contest. http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/10/07/mill-creek-elementary-student-wins-first-art-contest/ business card designs for photographers If you want a business card with a little extra spice, consider a tactile map. These maps were felt different from other business cards. They can be printed on a particular surface, such as metal, or they can be raised or embossed designs that can be felt with the fingers. Keep in mind that commercial printing companies color additional charge for this type of card because of the work that must be added to design and print them. http://www.howcofinancial.biz/business-card-designs-for-photographers/ article Blind use visual brain parts to refine sensation of sound and touch Researchers have indicated that people who have been blind from birth make use of the visual parts of their brain to refine their sensation of sound and touch. According to an international team of researchers led by neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC), this finding helps explain why the blind have such advanced perception of these senses - abilities that far exceed people who can see. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers found that the blind use specialized "modules" in the visual cortex that process the spatial location of an object when a person localizes it in space. More generally, they believe that the different functional attributes that make up vision, such as analysis of space, patterns, and motion, still exist in the visual cortex of blind individuals. But instead of using those areas to understand what the eyes see, the blind use them to process what they hear and touch because the same components are necessary to process information from those senses. In this experiment, which included researchers from Belgium and Finland, 12 sighted and 12 blind participants agreed to perform a set of auditory or tactile tasks. http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report_blind-use-visual-brain-parts-to-refine-sensation-of-sound-and-touch_1448871 Sight Line: Designing Better Streets for People with Low Vision Author Ross Atkin, a research associate at the Helen Hamlyn Centre at the Royal College of Art, also interviewed local authority designers and researchers from across the country. He has developed a practical new mapping technique to communicate how three different groups (residual sight users, long cane users and guide dog users) use a combination of sound, touch, and memory to get around safely. http://www.dexigner.com/news/21574 Touch-based navigation may move the blind But how would you find your way to a "point of interest" if you were blind? You could use your fingers -- one day. William Provancher, 38, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Utah, developed a technology based on haptics -- the sense of touch -- that in a couple of years might help blind people find their way to a favorite coffee shop. Video games already use tactile cues such as "rumble" to give the player a more realistic experience when crashing a virtual go-cart into a wall. And cell phones have been using vibration as an alternative to sound for years. But Provancher has taken the use of haptics to another level. "What our device can do is give you direction cues," he said. The technology would allow users to place their fingertip on top of a small button about the size of a pea, and receive direction cues through skin stretch. In the study that took about two and a half years to conduct, Provancher found, "people are very good at perceiving small amounts of skin stretch," he said. The device gives cues by stretching the skin slightly in both horizontal and vertical directions (left, right, front, back). http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=169973 From fnugg at online.no Tue Oct 12 03:11:09 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2010 05:11:09 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Art allows sight-restricted youth to express himself Message-ID: <4CB3D1CD.8010602@online.no> Art allows sight-restricted youth to express himself A visually impaired Montgomery teenager is anxious to learn ancient Hebrew and improve his drawing skills before his sense of sight is gone forever. Refusing to give in to a myriad of physical ailments, Brandon Rys, 18, is a young man on a mission ? including ambitious goals he?s set for himself and commitment to help others afflicted with debilitating physical ailments. http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/10/10/conroe_courier/news/rys101010.txt From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Tue Oct 12 07:34:09 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2010 09:34:09 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Oliver Sacks on Empathy as a Path to Insight podcast Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A83950702CC4@mail1> Hi, An interview with Oliver Sacks at the Harvard Business Review and description of book. Best, Lisa Oliver Sacks on Empathy as a Path to Insight podcast http://blogs.hbr.org/ideacast/2010/10/oliver-sacks-on-empathy-as-a-p.html The Mind's Eye In The Mind's Eye, Oliver Sacks tells the stories of people who are able to navigate the world and communicate with others despite losing what many of us consider indispensable senses and abilities: the power of speech, the capacity to recognize faces, the sense of three-dimensional space, the ability to read, the sense of sight. For all of these people, the challenge is to adapt to a radically new way of being in the world. There is Lilian, a concert pianist who becomes unable to read music and is eventually unable even to recognize everyday objects, and Sue, a neurobiologist who has never seen in three dimensions, until she suddenly acquires stereoscopic vision in her fifties. There is Pat, who reinvents herself as a loving grandmother and active member of her community, despite the fact that she has aphasia and cannot utter a sentence, and Howard, a prolific novelist who must find a way to continue his life as a writer even after a stroke destroys his ability to read. And there is Dr. Sacks himself, who tells the story of his own eye cancer and the bizarre and disconcerting effects of losing vision to one side. Sacks explores some very strange paradoxes-people who can see perfectly well but cannot recognize their own children, and blind people who become hyper-visual or who navigate by "tongue vision." He also considers more fundamental questions: How do we see? How do we think? How important is internal imagery-or vision, for that matter? Why is it that, although writing is only five thousand years old, humans have a universal, seemingly innate, potential for reading? The Mind's Eye is a testament to the complexity of vision and the brain and to the power of creativity and adaptation. And it provides a whole new perspective on the power of language and communication, as we try to imagine what it is to see with another person's eyes, or another person's mind. http://www.amazon.com/Minds-Eye-Oliver-Sacks/dp/0307272087 -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Mon Oct 18 09:33:28 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:33:28 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Art Education for the Blind telephone conference Today Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8398F7F8798@mail1> Hi, Forwarding reminder about Art Beyond Sight's telephone conference today. Regards, Lisa If you have any trouble viewing the newsletter, you can also access it online at http://www.artbeyondsight.org/change/aw-emailalerts.shtml THE EIGHTH ANNUAL ART BEYOND SIGHT AWARENESS MONTH October 2010: Alert III SAVE A DATE: Monday October 18 Dial In for our annual all day Telephone Conference Crash Course from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) on Monday, October 18. Elisabeth Axel, founder and President of Art Education for the Blind, will open the course at 9 a.m. Following, experts will discuss a variety of topics, from how to engage and maintain your museum audience while acknowledging its diversity to strategies that allow artists with disabilities to operate in the mainstream art world. Callers-in pay normal long-distant phone charges, but NO additional fees. The teleconference number is (712) 432-0220. Our conference access code is 232-2009. For a closer look at the schedule, see below. 9 - 10 a.m.: Reports from: AAM Annual Meeting "Museums without Borders," Danielle St. Germain-Gordon, American Association of Museums The 2nd World Conference on Arts Education "Arts For Society, Education for Creativity," Erin Narloch, Leigh Yawkee Woodson Art Museum. The Second World Conference explored the wide range of learning environments and opportunities in and out of institutional education settings, as well as advocated the importance of arts education to the international community. 10 - 11 a.m.: Understanding Museum Audiences: What Visitors with Disabilities Want Are you second guessing your audience? This conversation focuses on what people with disabilities have told museum educators they want from a visit - what makes a trip to a museum worth the effort. The information shared comes from conversations held at focus groups, advisory board meetings, and programs for people with vision loss and other disabilities. As our panelists found, it's not always what you think. 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Science Museums and Inclusive Programming Join museum representatives and an institution partner from the disabilities community as they discuss their work towards achieving best practices for accessibility. Examples from each institution and the lessons learned will be shared, including facility planning, and exhibition and program implementation. 12 - 1 p.m.: Small Museums and Inclusive Programming Staff from three museums will share their efforts to develop inclusive programs for community audiences. They'll discuss the framework of school and community programs, their relevance for the institution, training needed for staff and docents, and common challenges faced in sustaining and marketing the programs. 1 - 2 p.m.: Reimagining Family Programs in Museums Discover how museums are reimagining the model of 'family programming' in order to better respond to changes in the post-modern family unit. By expanding our definition of "family," and considering the changing needs of the people within these families, museums are better able to provide meaningful experiences for people at different life stages and with different abilities. Several case studies will be presented. The panelists will discuss program development, outreach, format, and participant feedback. 2 - 3 p.m.: Art and Creativity to Engage Children with Various Disabilities The word "engage" takes on a special meaning when used in conjunction with children with disabilities. For them engaging in art or other activities can be a difficult process. For museum educators and art teachers considering how the child will engage is at the heart of planning and execution. This session will discuss the panelists' experiences and best practices in making art accessible and meaningful for children with disabilities. 3 - 4 p.m.: Reflections on Diversity: Disability in Film The film industry has perpetuated stereotyped ideas about the abilities of people who are blind - vision loss either is compensated by a sixth sense or, on the other end of the spectrum, leaves people powerless. Well, times are changing. Going Blind and Do You Dream in Color (see News Reel below), two recent documentaries commenting on people's lives with visual impairment, foster understanding and break down some of the barriers. 4 - 5 p.m.: Out of the Ordinary: Artists With Disabilities Claiming a Place in the Mainstream Art World Three internationally exhibiting photographers who are blind talk candidly about art and disability. What strategies allow artists with disabilities to operate in the mainstream art world? Is there a growing "art disability ghetto" of well-intended but marginal exhibitions? How can artists deeply explore personal and disability issues, while avoiding marginalizing labels? Blind artists bring a personally based perspective to these issues. As artist Pete Eckert states: "Being a blind photographer is a hook, but it's also a sinker." For the full schedule and list of speakers, go to: http://www.artbeyondsight.org/change/aw-crashcourse.shtml Callers-in pay normal long-distant phone charges, but NO additional fees. The teleconference number is (712) 432-0220. Our conference access code is 232-2009. ________________________________________ News Reel Do You Dream In Color? Abigael Fuller, Director Do You Dream In Color? began as a simple investigation into the dreams of blind and visually impaired individuals, but soon grew into a large project following seven inspiring blind teenagers with a mission to raise awareness about living with visual impairment. Director Abigail Fuller notes that, "The film gradually changed in scope and took on much larger issues than we originally had planned. This happened because we became immersed in the community and saw firsthand the issues that the blind community is actively fighting for: equal education, employment opportunities, and battling ever-looming low expectations." In a society based largely on visual information, it is often difficult for a sighted person to understand that being blind does not mean living in the dark, and the goal of Do You Dream in Color? is to bridge that gap of understanding. The film uses animation to depict the dreams of these seven blind teens, each of whom is paired with a different animator. The goal of these artists is to create each teen's dreams in the most accurate and compelling way possible using visual effects. Fuller tells us, "Each artist was chosen based on several factors, including the teenagers' personalities, the content of their dreams, the different sensory experiences they describe, their different interpretations of color, and the perceptions of their world in their waking lives." The film features neuroscientists Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone and Dr. Lotfi Merabet, dream psychologists Dr. William Domhoff and Dr. Nancy Kerr and opthamologist Dr. Sam Masket, who help the audience understand how these animated dreams can be created and understood by sighted viewers. Fuller and her crew feel strongly that "including the science is a necessary part of the story. The experts featured in the film will definitely expose an audience to ideas they are not familiar with. Combining the heartwarming stories with the necessary factual information only helps to paint a more complete picture of the world we are trying to expose to the audience." The combination of animation, personal experience, and science is sure to be a winning combination. For more information visit the website for Do You Dream in Color? at http://www.doyoudreamincolor.org, and be on the look-out for the film's release! Written by Drew Smith ________________________________________ Literature Corner Makabayan: Sibika at Kultura Hekasi Touchbook Text in the Philippines Touch the Artist Vision, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, recently launched "Makabayan: Sibika at Kultura o Hekasi," a pioneering program in Philippine art that allows people who are blind to have a meaningful museum experience. Comprised of lessons for grades one through four, the three-volume book uses swell paper tactile material (see pictures below). Tactile images of the crucial concepts in basic education were developed and are accompanied by audio recording. Annette L.Esperaz, Julia R. Capulong, Evelyn B. Caja, and May Lyn L. Cruz co-authored the book. The project has been well-received and they hope to get the Makabayan book out to each and every school in the country. For more information visit "Touchbooks" on Facebook. -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From fnugg at online.no Mon Oct 18 14:04:40 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:04:40 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Important! code for conference In-Reply-To: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8398F7F8798@mail1> References: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8398F7F8798@mail1> Message-ID: <4CBC53F8.3060707@online.no> Hi, The conference access code for the teleconference is 232-2010 The teleconference number is (712) 432-0220.,Our conference access code is 232-2010 Sorry about the confusion Regards, Lisa From d.oneill at mvhm.org Mon Oct 18 19:20:25 2010 From: d.oneill at mvhm.org (Deborah O'Neill) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 15:20:25 -0400 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Important! code for conference In-Reply-To: <4CBC53F8.3060707@online.no> References: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8398F7F8798@mail1> <4CBC53F8.3060707@online.no> Message-ID: <8341A416-777B-4FDC-9F76-39396F91DDB7@mvhm.org> Hello Lisa, Thank you for hosting this teleconference. I found it very useful. Unfortunately, I was unable to listen in on the portion of the conference that dealt with small museums at 12:00PM. Are there any abstracts from any of the participants? Thank you, Deborah O'Neill Director of Education Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden 421 East 61st Street New York, NY 10065 (212) 838-6878 www.mvhm.org On Oct 18, 2010, at 10:04 AM, fnugg at online.no wrote: > Hi, > > The conference access code for the teleconference is 232-2010 > > > The teleconference number is (712) 432-0220.,Our conference access > code is 232-2010 > > Sorry about the confusion > > Regards, > > Lisa > > > _______________________________________________ > Artbeyondsightmuseums mailing list > Artbeyondsightmuseums at nfbnet.org > http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ > artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info > for Artbeyondsightmuseums: > http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org/d.oneill%40mvhm.org From fnugg at online.no Mon Oct 18 19:59:33 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:59:33 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Important! code for conference In-Reply-To: <8341A416-777B-4FDC-9F76-39396F91DDB7@mvhm.org> References: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8398F7F8798@mail1> <4CBC53F8.3060707@online.no> <8341A416-777B-4FDC-9F76-39396F91DDB7@mvhm.org> Message-ID: <4CBCA725.4070006@online.no> Hi Deborah, I did not host the teleconference! It was Art Beyond Sight which was founded by Elisabeth Salzhauer Axel. I am not a member of the organization, I am just a big fan. I really found the talks useful too. And I think abstracts would be nice to have. I tried to take notes but got a bit behind. I enjoyed hearing about the different museums. Openness, engagement and friendliness of staff were some of the threads that seemed to go through out . All the best, Lisa On 18.10.2010 21:20, Deborah O'Neill wrote: > Hello Lisa, > > Thank you for hosting this teleconference. I found it very useful. > Unfortunately, I was unable to listen in on the portion of the > conference that dealt with small museums at 12:00PM. Are there any > abstracts from any of the participants? > > Thank you, > > > Deborah O'Neill > Director of Education > Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden > 421 East 61st Street > New York, NY 10065 > (212) 838-6878 > www.mvhm.org > > > > On Oct 18, 2010, at 10:04 AM, fnugg at online.no wrote: > >> Hi, >> >> The conference access code for the teleconference is 232-2010 >> >> >> The teleconference number is (712) 432-0220.,Our conference access >> code is 232-2010 >> >> Sorry about the confusion >> >> Regards, >> >> Lisa >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Artbeyondsightmuseums mailing list >> Artbeyondsightmuseums at nfbnet.org >> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org >> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for >> Artbeyondsightmuseums: >> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org/d.oneill%40mvhm.org >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Artbeyondsightmuseums mailing list > Artbeyondsightmuseums at nfbnet.org > http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for > Artbeyondsightmuseums: > http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org/fnugg%40online.no > > > > > From d.oneill at mvhm.org Mon Oct 18 20:01:41 2010 From: d.oneill at mvhm.org (Deborah O'Neill) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:01:41 -0400 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Small Museums Segment on Tele-Conference Message-ID: <2D0D1CE9-AE5F-4FF7-893B-1ED07F0DC5E5@mvhm.org> Hello Lisa, Thank you for hosting this teleconference. I found it very useful. Unfortunately, I was unable to listen in on the portion of the conference that dealt with small museums at 12:00PM. Are there any abstracts from any of the participants? Thank you, Deborah O'Neill Director of Education Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden 421 East 61st Street New York, NY 10065 (212) 838-6878 www.mvhm.org From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Wed Oct 20 09:31:53 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:31:53 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Information Design for Visually Impaired People conferee Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8398F7F879F@mail1> Hi, This sounds interesting. An Exchange Forum on Information Design for Visually Impaired People Vienna, October 25-26, 2010 More information at http://www.space-x-vie.net/?pg=1&ft= Regards, Lisa -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From saneast at iafrica.com Wed Oct 20 09:47:41 2010 From: saneast at iafrica.com (Sandra Eastwood) Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:47:41 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Information Design for Visually Impaired People conferee In-Reply-To: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8398F7F879F@mail1> References: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8398F7F879F@mail1> Message-ID: Sounds really interesting please keep us up to date on online info after the conference Thank you for the valuable net working you make possible best regards Sandra Eastwood MAP Coordinator in association with Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town On 20 Oct 2010, at 11:31 AM, Lisa Yayla wrote: > Hi, > > This sounds interesting. > > An Exchange Forum on > Information Design for Visually Impaired People > Vienna, October 25-26, 2010 > > More information at > > http://www.space-x-vie.net/?pg=1&ft= > > Regards, > > Lisa > > > > -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- > _______________________________________________ > Artbeyondsightmuseums mailing list > Artbeyondsightmuseums at nfbnet.org > http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Artbeyondsightmuseums: > http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org/saneast%40iafrica.com From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Wed Oct 20 11:10:33 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:10:33 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Information Design for Visually Impaired People conferee In-Reply-To: References: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8398F7F879F@mail1> Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8398F7F87A0@mail1> Hi Sandra, Thank you for your kind words. All the best, Lisa -----Opprinnelig melding----- Fra: artbeyondsightmuseums-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:artbeyondsightmuseums-bounces at nfbnet.org] P? vegne av Sandra Eastwood Sendt: 20. oktober 2010 11:48 Til: Access to Art Museums Emne: Re: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Information Design for Visually Impaired People conferee Sounds really interesting please keep us up to date on online info after the conference Thank you for the valuable net working you make possible best regards Sandra Eastwood MAP Coordinator in association with Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town On 20 Oct 2010, at 11:31 AM, Lisa Yayla wrote: > Hi, > > This sounds interesting. > > An Exchange Forum on > Information Design for Visually Impaired People > Vienna, October 25-26, 2010 > > More information at > > http://www.space-x-vie.net/?pg=1&ft= > > Regards, > > Lisa > > > > -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- > _______________________________________________ > Artbeyondsightmuseums mailing list > Artbeyondsightmuseums at nfbnet.org > http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Artbeyondsightmuseums: > http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org/saneast%40iafrica.com _______________________________________________ Artbeyondsightmuseums mailing list Artbeyondsightmuseums at nfbnet.org http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Artbeyondsightmuseums: http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org/lisa.yayla%40statped.no -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From fnugg at online.no Sun Oct 24 19:05:33 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2010 21:05:33 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Alert IV THE EIGHTH ANNUAL ART BEYOND SIGHT AWARENESS MONTH Message-ID: <4CC4837D.1000006@online.no> Forwarding The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, Lincoln, Nebraska The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery kicked off Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month with the museum's "ORLAN: The Harlequin Coat" exhibit as the focus. ?The Harlequin Coat? is an installation work by French artist Orlan. Using the patchwork motif characteristic of harlequin as a metaphor for the fragmented, multicolored, multilayered performance of the human signature, she questions identity and every defining aspect of being human ? gender, ethnicity, religion, beauty, physiognomy, and even physiology itself. It is her most collaborative work to date, involving, at different stages, artists from the worlds of fashion, design, film, and technology. The Orlan exhibit is set up as a round-chair discussion forum, which invites visitors to sit and discuss art. In January 2011, this exhibit will host another Art Beyond Sight Awareness Round Chair Discussion. The discussion will address blindness in correlation with the visual arts. Participants will be encouraged to sit in chairs that are part of the exhibition. The chairs were designed by Philippe Stark in the style of Louis the XV; they and their placement in the artwork create a democratic forum for discussion and debate. "In a nutshell, this is really what the museum is trying to do," said Daniel Veneciano, the director of the Sheldon Museum, in regards to the Orlan exhibit. "Bring in art that provokes conversation." According to Sarah Baker-Hansen, public relations and marketing manager of the Sheldon, Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month has made it a goal to provide the blind with tools to experience visual aspects of life. "We've been working with the Lincoln blind and vision-impaired community to make the museum more accessible," Baker-Hansen said. "Some blind volunteers have been working with the Orlan exhibit, and we'll have some programming early next year based on what we've learned from that partnership." For further information on the exhibit, visit http://www.sheldonartmuseum.org/exhibitions/current_exhibitions.html Lithuanian Library for the Blind, Vilnius, Lithuania lithuaniaLibrary litlib2 The Lithuanian Library for the Blind organized the 5th LAB?s Tactile Book Contest. The library received thirty-eight tactile books, most of them made by second-year graphic design students from Vilnius Technology and Design College. One book with illustrations on swell-paper was made by a group of professional artists and painters composed of Odete Abromaviciute, Diana Raudoniene, Virginijus Ka?inskas, and Asta Jonaityte. Another book, a sewn one, was made by folk artist Lina Norkiene, who is a teacher of crafts at the Vilkpede?s Social Services Centre in Vilnius. The books are organized according to their medium: some are made with cardboard in the style of appliqu?, others with textile or using the ?BrlPaint? software (created by Sergejus Mechas) and embossed on Braille paper, and finally with swell-paper. The results can be seen at http://labiblioteka.lt/FN.HTML The authors of the best tactile books were awarded diplomas and presents. The books are on exhibit at the library until October 31. Visitors who are sighted are encouraged to close their eyes and feel the surface. Text by Laura Juchnevic, administrator, and Audrone Gendviliene, tactile book contest coordinator. Translated from Lithuanian by Audrone Gendviliene. Access Advisors Open House and Disability Arts Festival de Young Museum, Goldengate Park The Museum?s Open House created an opportunity to demonstrate every-day accessibility at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. About four hundred people attended the festival, which featured works by artists with low vision; performances by Maia Scott (see photos by John Spicer); touch tours; art-making activities; and Art Slam, which consisted of a non-juried slide show of work by artists with disabilities. For more information on programs at the de Young Museum, please contact Tish Brown at tbrown at famsf.org or call 415-750-7645 Maia and Selma maia scott as Blob Performance artist Maia Scott as the Blob Performance artist Maia Scott as Mother Nature Literature Corner Viviane Sarraf, Author Museum Rehabilitation: Cultural Inclusion Policies through Accessibility Published in March of 2010, Vivian Sarraf's ?"Museum Rehabilitation: Cultural Inclusion Policies through Accessibility? is based on the her masters theses. The text analyzes the relationship between museums and people with disabilities through an examination of the practices and theories that are designed to improve cultural actions and inclusive programs. It also investigates accessibility and inclusion concepts in relation to museums and cultural mediation. Sarraf evaluates the success of various museum programs through first-hand accounts from both directors of public and private museums and cultural institutions, and the target audience--people with disabilities. The book is available from Amazon.com and other international bookstores. Side Notes: 1. For people who called during the Telephone Crash Course on Monday, Erin Narloch from the Leigh Yawkee Museum, WI mentioned you could find the speakers? papers from the UNESCO World Conference on Arts Education online, below is the link: http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=39674&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html 2. Recordings from some of the Telephone Crash Course sessions will be soon available on our Itunes site. Meanwhile, you can always log in and check Art Education for the Blind?s verbal description of various artworks and New York City landmark. To download Itunes, go to http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ Once you are set up, go to Itunes Store and type ?Art Beyond Sight? into the search engine on the top right of the page and you should reach our page. Enjoy! 3. Reminder: If you haven?t already done so, I do hope you?ll make sure your museum is registered on www.projectaccessforall.org. It?s free, it?s easy, it takes just 10 to 15 minutes, and you and you alone control the content and can update it as often as needed. 4. Don?t forget to check the Calendar of Events to see what other Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month participants are doing to celebrate: http://www.artbeyondsight.org/change/aw-calendar.shtml From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Thu Oct 28 07:42:15 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2010 09:42:15 +0200 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Audio Description for Halloween Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8420C7C3275@mail1> Hi, Forwarding - A treat from the American Council of the Blind's Audio Description Project: This Sunday, October 31 is Halloween 2010! Celebrate the horrific holiday (as well as the passage of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act) with ACB Radio as the web-based radio station streams the full movie Night of the Living Dead (George Romero's original 1968 film) completely audio described! Tune in at 8:00 pm EDT at www.acbradio.org/world for the film with all of the classic film's spooky horror described in full by the American Council of the Blind's Audio Description Project. Produced in collaboration with VITAC, the nation's largest captioning company, it's also available for free at VITAC's website: VITAC.COM - Night of the Living Dead and on VITAC's YouTube channel: VITAC - You Tube - Night of the Living Dead Joel JOEL SNYDER President, Audio Description Associates, LLC "The Visual Made Verbal" (tm) 6502 Westmoreland Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912 jsnyder at audiodescribe.com -- 301 920-0218 Cell: 301 452-1898 -- Fax: 408 445-0079 For more information about audio description, please visit: www.audiodescribe.com Director, Audio Description Project American Council of the Blind jsnyder at acb.org -- 202 467-5083 www.acb.org/adp -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Wed Nov 3 09:27:42 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 3 Nov 2010 10:27:42 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Talking Map Kiosks at Chicago Lighthouse Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8420C7C3286@mail1> Hi, Touch Graphics together with RERC-DU, Dr. Joshua Miele and Chicago Light house are testing a new way-finding kiosk. Video and more information at http://www.touchgraphics.com/research/ChicagoLighthousekiosk.htm Touch Graphics is testing a new approach to making public way-finding information accessible to people with print disabilities. Two new talking map kiosks at Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired present multi-sensory information in many ways simultaneously. Kiosk users can consult a raised line map that speaks the names of places that are touched. Alternatively, users can scroll through alphabetical lists of departments, and staff members, and then listen to verbal way-finding scripts that explain in clear language how to reach various destinations. Information is also displayed visually; as the white, 3D surface of the map is touched, a visual highlighting is projected from above, painting the contoured, textured surface with light. All spoken messages are also captioned in large print displayed on the map surface. This work is being carried out by Touch Graphics working in partnership with staff at the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Universal Design (RERC-UD), located at the University of Buffalo; Dr. Joshua A. Miele of Smith Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in San Francisco; and staff at the Chicago Lighthouse. User tests of the talking maps will take place in early 2011. Based on the outcomes of these test, we hope to improve our understanding of how diverse audiences process multi-sensory cartographic information, and how time spent studying these talking maps impacts one's ability to navigate in this huge, and complex facility. Regards, Lisa -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Wed Nov 3 09:33:40 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 3 Nov 2010 10:33:40 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] ART BEYOND SIGHT Alert V Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8420C7C3288@mail1> Hi, Forwarding THE EIGHTH ANNUAL ART BEYOND SIGHT AWARENESS MONTH October 2010: Alert V The Tennessee State Library and Archives Exhibit by the Tennessee School for the Blind Artwork by students at the Tennessee School for the Blind has been on display throughout October at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Students in Monica Leister's art classes at the Tennessee School for the Blind prepared the items in the exhibit, which include paintings in acrylic and tempera, as well as mixed media paintings, and items of aluminum embossing. There are also some paper, clay and ceramic sculptures, too. "We create all types of art using a variety of media," Leister said. "Some of my students have low vision and are able to see well enough to paint or draw without any modifications or accommodations. I also have students who are totally blind, and they do require some accommodations. First of all, if a student has never had vision, then his or her concept of how something looks can be totally different from what we see. Most of my students love sculpture and working with clay, but that is not the only thing we do. We create collages which can be very tactile. I use screen boards and texture boards to help students to feel what they are drawing. I also add sand and even fragrance to paint sometimes to make painting more of a multisensory experience." The free, public exhibit was sponsored by the Tennessee Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a division of the State Library and Archives. It's gotten rave reviews from visitors. Among the comments: "Beautiful, inspiring exhibit," and "Amazing! What possible excuses could I give for less than excellent!" Note: The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped got coverage by a local news channel! http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/category.asp?C=125220&clipId=5195722&topVideoCatNo=85299&autoStart=true ________________________________________ Beyond Sight Foundation, Mumbai, India Blind With Camera You might remember the Blind With Camera project started in 2004 by Partho Bhowmick. He accidentally picked up an old issue of a photography magazine from a pavement vendor in Mumbai, India and came across an article on Evgen Bavcar, an accomplished blind photographer based in Paris. Bhowmick's passion for photography made him contact Evgen Bavcar over the Internet and he was profoundly influenced by his work and philosophy. He engaged in self-study on blindness and visual art, and in the process, came in touch with several blind photographers and blind artists around the world, and people working towards giving new insight to the blind and their artistic expression. After conducting a number of workshops for students with visual impairment or who are blind (cf. Alert II in 2008), and other projects, Bhowmick established the Beyond Sight Foundation in 2009. The team of Beyond Sight Foundation is now conducting regular photography workshops and classes. They were also involved in the recent celebration of World Sight Day on October 14th at the Sankara Eye Hospital Bangalore. The event was part of Nanna Kannu - an eye care program for children supported by Sight Savers International. Seventy six visually impaired children between the ages of 13 and 18 were trained in photography. They, in turn, took more than a thousand pictures representing four themes: "In Touch With Green" (garden at the hospital), "Painting With Light" (traffic light at night), "Inside Out" (inside the hospital building), and "For Better Sight" (objects used for eye testing). Check out other programs and events by Blind With Camera at http://blindwithcamera.org/events-news/ ________________________________________ DO NOT MISS O+A (BRUCE ODLAND and SAM AUINGER) REQUIEM FOR FOSSIL FUELS Requiem for fossil fuels, a new setting by Bruce Odland and Sam Auinger of the traditional Requiem Mass, is dedicated to a world struggling to reconcile its lifestyle dependence on fossil fuels with the looming scarcity of oil, coal, and natural gas. Performed by a quartet of vocal virtuosi with the composers at the helm of an 8-channel "Orchestra of Cities", this piece is driven by the clamorous sounds of the metropolis: traffic, construction, alarms, chatter as well as sounds of helicopters, jets and harbor sourced outside the Winter Garden in 2004 when O+A presented their sonic installation, Blue Moon, on the Plaza. This performance is part of New Sounds Live, curated by John Schaefer, host and producer of WNYC Radio's popular shows New Sounds and Soundcheck. When: Friday November 12, 2010 at 7 p.m. Where: World Financial Center/Winter Garden located at 220 Vesey Street New York, NY 10281 ________________________________________ PS: If you're a museum or cultural organization and haven't yet registered on www.projectaccessforall.org - now's the time to do it. It's free, it's easy, you control the content and can update as often as desired, and you will be sending a positive message to your community and funders that you believe in and support access to art and culture for all! Vennlig hilsen Lisa Yayla R?dgiver ---------------------- Huseby kompetansesenter Gamle Hovsetervei 3 0768 Oslo Telefon 22029539 lisa.yayla at statped.no www.statped.no/huseby -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Wed Nov 3 15:05:01 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 3 Nov 2010 16:05:01 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Esref Armagan pictures exhibited by Manifesta 8 Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8420C7C328F@mail1> Hi, Forwarding news about Esref Armagan from John Kennedy. Regards, Lisa Esref Armagan pictures exhibited by Manifesta 8 In Spain, the Region of Murcia, and the city of Cartagena host Manifesta 8, an exhibition including Esref Armagan pictures. There were more than 30.000 visits to Manifesta 8 in the first week. Manifesta8, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art, takes place in the Region of Murcia, in southern Spain, in dialogue with northern Africa, from October 9, 2010 until January 9, 2011 Manifesta 8 showcases art from all disciplines featuring multi-media installation, film, performance, dance and music, and makes use of both traditional and unconventional art channels in co-operation with such media outlets as newspapers, radio, television and the Internet. In the first week Manifesta 8 recorded more than 30.000 visits by the local audience and artists, curators, and art professionals from around the globe, together with over 500 international journalists (source: Regional Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Region of Murcia). The curatorial team of Manifesta 8 includes the Chamber of Public Secrets (Khaled Ramadan, Alfredo Cramerotti) who arranged an exhibition of 6 drawings and 12 paintings by Esref Armagan, who was born totally blind. The drawings were supplied by Dr John M Kennedy, University of Toronto, from his research studies with Esref Armagan. The exhibition includes a video of Esref working with John Kennedy, and Kennedy text discussing Esref's pictures> On Sunday, October 10, 2010, Toronto-based professor of psychology Kennedy lectured at MUBAM, Museo de Bellas Artes de Murcia, one of the venues of Manifesta 8, on the Esref exhibition exhibition and the curation by Chamber of Public Secrets. Esref Armagan demonstrated his drawing abilities and was interviewed by local media (with the aid of translation by Joan Eroncel). Manifesta is the roaming European Biennial of Contemporary Art organized by the Manifesta Foundation (Amsterdam). Access to all 2010 venues and education activities is free. More information on the ongoing education program can be found at: www.manifesta8.es/medular> -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Wed Nov 17 09:13:24 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:13:24 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Exhibition of photography by the blind and visually impaired in India, Leicester Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8451A6741B3@mail1> forwarding >From the 23rd - 26th November, Leicester Grammar School?s foyer is playing host to an exhibition of photographs by the Beyond Sight Foundation from Mumbai, India. This organisation is a highly successful charity and educational pioneer in India and last year won the Karmaveer Puraskaar - National Award for Social Justice and Citizen Action, given by the Indian Confederation of NGOs (ICONGO). They also have a strong web presence and their URL is http://blindwithcamera.org/ . The photographs that will be on display are unique as they are taken by Indian photographers who are blind and partially sighted and students from Indian schools for the blind, some who have never seen. The artworks depict their daily activities and personal experiences. Thus the exhibition will not only represent an exhibition of interesting images, it will also give an insight into the lives of blind and visually impaired adults and students in India. The only other venues for this exhibition in the UK will be Liverpool Cathedral as part of the DaDa International Arts Festival and the Indian High Commission in London, which will also host a presentation by the head of the foundation, Partho Bhowmick. We would like to invite parents, students and families to visit the exhibition, and particularly attend the preview on the 23rd November, from 5 ? 6 pm, which is free of charge and during which Partho Bhowmick will be in attendance. If you would like tickets for this event, please return the slip below with the number you would like. -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Wed Nov 17 10:26:50 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:26:50 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Tactile globe - thinking out loud Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8451A6741B6@mail1> Hi, I have gotten my hands on a few small globes and am in the process of making them tactile (hopefully). So if anyone has done this before or has any ideas about it would appreciate any feedback. The globes are approximately 15 inches (34 cm) in circumference. About the size of a softball. Am starting to paint over the continents with a white glue (like Elmer's glue) to . Will perhaps have several layers so that it is easier to distinguish, and perhaps a textured paper after that. And thought to use a string/thread for the Equator etc. Have thought this could also be done with a large globe but like the idea of a smaller globe. Any ideas? Thanks, Lisa -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From laurie at artgalleryofhamilton.com Wed Nov 17 14:49:48 2010 From: laurie at artgalleryofhamilton.com (Laurie Kilgour) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 09:49:48 -0500 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Tactile globe - thinking out loud In-Reply-To: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8451A6741B6@mail1> References: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8451A6741B6@mail1> Message-ID: <24D7D88B9120494199E9A6946F6344FE@domain.local> Go to your local art store and look at the acrylic painting mediums - there are a variety of textures available that would be far easier than glueing paper on a globe. There are things like 'heavy gel' 'pumice gel' and others. Also, look at fabric paints - there are puffy and 3-d paints. -----Original Message----- From: artbeyondsightmuseums-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:artbeyondsightmuseums-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lisa Yayla Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 5:27 AM To: accessibleimage at freelists.org; 'ArtBeyond Sight Theory and Research'; 'Art Beyond SightEducators List'; 'art_beyond_sight_learning_tools at nfbnet.org'; 'Access to Art Museums'; 'Art Beyond Sight Advocacy' Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Tactile globe - thinking out loud Hi, I have gotten my hands on a few small globes and am in the process of making them tactile (hopefully). So if anyone has done this before or has any ideas about it would appreciate any feedback. The globes are approximately 15 inches (34 cm) in circumference. About the size of a softball. Am starting to paint over the continents with a white glue (like Elmer's glue) to . Will perhaps have several layers so that it is easier to distinguish, and perhaps a textured paper after that. And thought to use a string/thread for the Equator etc. Have thought this could also be done with a large globe but like the idea of a smaller globe. Any ideas? Thanks, Lisa -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- _______________________________________________ Artbeyondsightmuseums mailing list Artbeyondsightmuseums at nfbnet.org http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Artbeyondsightmuseums: http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org/lauri e%40artgalleryofhamilton.com From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Wed Nov 17 15:02:10 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:02:10 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] The Question Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8451A6741B8@mail1> Hi, Excerpt from an article in Philosophy Now Regards, Lisa The Question Excerpt ... Maria Oshodi, Artistic Director of Extant, Britain's only company for visually-impaired theatre professionals, has spent the last ten years experimenting with techniques to give blind and sighted people as similar an experience of theatre as possible. Her stimulating and comic Effing & Blinding! Cabaret, performed in complete darkness last year, demonstrated that blind actors have an acute grasp of spatial awareness which enables them to deliver immersive theatre that can be enjoyed by all. ... Oshodi's latest venture, The Question, was partly instigated by the Magee/Milligan dialogues, as well as by ideas from physicists Kent Cullers and Richard Feynman, and writers Kim Stanley Robinson and Simon Hayhoe. This 'research project' was presented at Battersea Arts Centre, South London, June 14-19, and was funded by the Technology Strategy Board. It aimed to explore the artistic and commercial applications of tactile feedback technology using haptics. Haptic technology interfaces with the user through the sense of touch (haptic = touch). The Question followed the thoughts of a blind scientist struggling with scientific, philosophical and cultural questions concerning the relationship between sensory perception and knowledge. Entering into a dark space, both sighted and blind audience members were equipped with a set of wireless headphones and a 'Haptic Lotus' (see picture). This robotic device strapped to one hand was programmed as a navigational aid, to guide the user to four installation zones within the theatre. The device's lotus flowers blossomed more the nearer the user came to each zone, and closed again as the user moved away. Participants could then make a tactile exploration of each zone's set whilst listening to a recorded soundtrack. The Question vividly audially dramatised Milligan and Magee's argument about the status of sensory perception through a mix of voices, music and sound effects, including birdsong, cries of newborn babies, footsteps, heartbeats and traffic. The whole provided an aural level playing field where blind and sighted people could have not just a blind person's experience of the physical world, but simultaneously an aesthetic dreamlike impression of the inner landscape of the mind and its chattering dialogue with itself. The soundtrack of The Question's philosophical zone certainly did justice to Schopenhauer's idea that a particular form of knowledge beyond words he called 'knowledge of the sublime' is best articulated by art - or as the young Wittgenstein averred, "significance can be presented but not stated." Here the voices of Milligan and Magee mixed in a heady swirl of interjections from Isaac Newton and John Locke. Locke, the first of the British empiricists, maintained that our senses provided the source of all our ideas and knowledge, dividing our ideas into simple ideas of sense andcomplex ideas of reflection. An added Socratic layer of dramatic intrigue was achieved by an actor wandering through the space and questioning everybody. http://www.philosophynow.org/issue81/81rolfe.htm -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Wed Nov 17 15:05:46 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:05:46 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Tactile globe - thinking out loud In-Reply-To: <24D7D88B9120494199E9A6946F6344FE@domain.local> References: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8451A6741B6@mail1> <24D7D88B9120494199E9A6946F6344FE@domain.local> Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8451A6741B9@mail1> Hi, Thanks for the suggestion. I plan to build up the land areas a couple of millimeters with the glue and then add paper or cloth. The pumice gel sounds promising. Thanks, Lisa -----Opprinnelig melding----- Fra: artbeyondsightmuseums-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:artbeyondsightmuseums-bounces at nfbnet.org] P? vegne av Laurie Kilgour Sendt: 17. november 2010 15:50 Til: 'Access to Art Museums' Emne: Re: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Tactile globe - thinking out loud Go to your local art store and look at the acrylic painting mediums - there are a variety of textures available that would be far easier than glueing paper on a globe. There are things like 'heavy gel' 'pumice gel' and others. Also, look at fabric paints - there are puffy and 3-d paints. -----Original Message----- From: artbeyondsightmuseums-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:artbeyondsightmuseums-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lisa Yayla Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 5:27 AM To: accessibleimage at freelists.org; 'ArtBeyond Sight Theory and Research'; 'Art Beyond SightEducators List'; 'art_beyond_sight_learning_tools at nfbnet.org'; 'Access to Art Museums'; 'Art Beyond Sight Advocacy' Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Tactile globe - thinking out loud Hi, I have gotten my hands on a few small globes and am in the process of making them tactile (hopefully). So if anyone has done this before or has any ideas about it would appreciate any feedback. The globes are approximately 15 inches (34 cm) in circumference. About the size of a softball. Am starting to paint over the continents with a white glue (like Elmer's glue) to . Will perhaps have several layers so that it is easier to distinguish, and perhaps a textured paper after that. And thought to use a string/thread for the Equator etc. Have thought this could also be done with a large globe but like the idea of a smaller globe. Any ideas? Thanks, Lisa -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- _______________________________________________ Artbeyondsightmuseums mailing list Artbeyondsightmuseums at nfbnet.org http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Artbeyondsightmuseums: http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org/lauri e%40artgalleryofhamilton.com _______________________________________________ Artbeyondsightmuseums mailing list Artbeyondsightmuseums at nfbnet.org http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Artbeyondsightmuseums: http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/artbeyondsightmuseums_nfbnet.org/lisa.yayla%40statped.no -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From fnugg at online.no Fri Nov 19 11:07:36 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:07:36 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] John Bramblitt, Dark Light film Message-ID: <4CE65A78.20009@online.no> John Bramblitt, talks about art, blindness, books, really good. http://topfineartphotos.com/photography-courses/blind-artist-john-bramblitt-the-art-of-living-gallery/ article /Dark Light: The Art of Blind Photographers/ Review When I saw the title of this film, I thought it was a put-on. But the existence of blind photographers is only the first revelation of Dark Light: The Art of Blind Photographers, a 30-minute documentary short that premieres on HBO2 tonight (Nov. 17) at 8:00 PM. Even more amazing is that some of them---the three profiled here, for example, are actually quite good http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/11/dark-light-the-art-of-blind-photographers-review.html article Six Remarkable Images from Blind Photographers Wednesday November 17 at 8:00PM on HBO2 (see our review here ). The three featured photographers are: *Henry Butler*, the New Orleans jazz piano great, who has been blind since infancy and photographs according to the vibrations he believes everything gives off, *Pete Eckert*, who lost his sight mid-life and uses a Braille meter to create photographs based completely on mental images, and *Bruce Hall*, an underwater photographer with severely limited eyesight, who also extensively photographs his twin autistic sons. http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/11/six-remarkable-images-from-blind-photographers.html From fnugg at online.no Fri Nov 19 12:21:05 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 13:21:05 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Dark Light: The Art of Blind Photographers - trailer Message-ID: <4CE66BB1.9040003@online.no> Dark Light: The Art of Blind Photographers Sensory Input "Let's face it," says Henry Butler. "Everything is just vibrations." And by everything, he means just that---sound and heat, light and color. A musician and photographer based in New Orleans, Butler pays close attention to vibrations in order to do his work. "I want to know the color scheme," he says, as his companion describes the scene around them, "What nature is surrounding the objects that we may be looking at. I want to know about distance. I want to know about sun." And he wants to know the people. Interacting with them via his camera, Butler enjoys the improvisation, as much a part of photography as the jazz piano he likes to play. Sometimes, he admits, his subjects are surprised. "Yeah," he smiles at one man. "It's a blind man taking your picture." http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/133756-dark-light-the-art-of-blind-photographers/ abstract Instant tactile-audio map: enabling access to digital maps for people with visual impairment http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1639642.1639652&preflayout=flat blog Dark Light: The Art of Blind Photographers http://www.edub9intl.com/edub9blog1/2010/11/dark-light-the-art-of-blind-photographers/ article Dark Light: The Art of Blind Photographers http://flavorwire.com/130717/dark-light-the-art-of-blind-photographers?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+flavorwire-rss+%28Flavorwire%29 film trailer http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/dark-light-the-art-of-blind-photographers/index.html#/documentaries/dark-light-the-art-of-blind-photographers/video/trailer.html/eNrjcmbO0CzLTEnNd8xLzKksyUx2zs8rSa0oUc-PSYEJBSSmp-ol5qYyFzLnszECoXRiaUl+QU5ipW1JUWkqJyMjAG2-Fzg= synopsis of filmhttp://www.hbo.com/documentaries/dark-light-the-art-of-blind-photographers/index.html#/documentaries/dark-light-the-art-of-blind-photographers/synopsis.html From fnugg at online.no Fri Nov 19 15:09:11 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:09:11 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] art, Touch the Earth Message-ID: <4CE69317.1040807@online.no> In New Hampshire Monday November 22nd: Art for the Blind Have you ever wondered what a painting feels like? Or how cuddly a sculpture can be? Those questions were answered in a new exhibit that was showcased at the Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough. Heather Hamel shows us how the exhibit was able to remove barriers. http://www.wmur.com/chronicle/25800761/detail.html excerpt Visually impaired students express themselves through art /Teachers at Nguyen Dinh Chieu Junior High for blind children in Hanoi say their wards tend to lack self-confidence, but they have unlimited imagination. / The idea of tapping this imagination inspired the "Art House", a project sponsored by the Lion's Club chapter in Sweden. The project allows students to express themselves through sculptures. Statues and reliefs made by students over the last four years or so are found all over the shelves and walls of the 70-square-meter house. Bui The Thanh, one of the students, said he put all his memories of the world into his sculptures. http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/education/1533/visually-impaired-students-express-themselves-through-art.html article 'Touch the Earth' to display at Earth Day on National Mall (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA will present the new tactile learning book, "Touch the Earth," on Monday, April 19, in the "NASA Village" tent at the Earth Day Celebration on the National Mall organized by the Earth Day Network. This will be the first public presentation of the book, published last month, with its authors and illustrators on hand to demonstrate its unique characteristics. http://sciencestage.com/resources/touch-earth-display-earth-day-national-mall-2 excerpt blog _The Phoblographer _ ...The full black and white menu is easier for a visually impaired photographer like myself to be able to navigate---and that's what's so important to me. http://thephoblographer.com/2010/11/15/field-review-leica-d-lux-5-day-1/ excerpt Hope through a lens The DaDaFest International, a Liverpool-based art festival, this week will showcase the works of two visually challenged photographers from the city. This is the first time the duo--- Mahesh Umrania and Kanchan Pamnani--- are showcasing at an international exhibition after having enrolled to study photography with Partho Bhowmick as part of his Blind With Camera project. Umrani and Pamnani were Bhowmick's first students in 2006 after he founded the organisation. The duo has attended workshops over the years and now contributed to the images that Bhowmick will showcase at the exhibition. "The 30-40 images that we're showcasing have been taken by numerous blind photographers. They're the best of the lot, and prove that even blind people perceive," Bhowmick says. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Hope-through-a-lens/Article1-626477.aspx report Our experience of: Take one picture http://www.slideshare.net/MLTeacher/mlteacher-2010v1 article St. Augustine Art Association holds tactile art show Touch the artwork, please!" encouraged Elyse Brady, administrator of the St. Augustine Art Association, while leading groups of students from the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind through the Annual Tactile Art Show. http://staugustine.com/news/schools/2010-11-13/st-augustine-art-association-holds-tactile-art-show From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Mon Nov 22 08:40:11 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:40:11 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] (no subject) Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A8451E543334@mail1> Blind With Camera project is exhibiting at the DaDa Disability Art Fest 2010 in Liverpool (www.dadafest2010.co.uk) Partho Bhowmick will be giving an illustrated talk on the making of the Blind With Camera project (www.blindwithcamera.org) at the Nehru Centre London on 26th November 2010 at 6.30pm. The Nehru Centre is the cultural wing of the Indian Commission in UK (www.nehrucentre.org.uk). The Nehru Center, 8 South Audley Street Mayfair, London (Near to Green Park tube stop Jubilee, Piccadilly, Victoria) The View From Here - making of Blind With Camera project presents the 'non-retinal' art of the visually impaired photographers from India, -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From fnugg at online.no Thu Dec 9 11:54:04 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2010 12:54:04 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] maps, google android applications WalkyTalky and Intersection Explorer Message-ID: <4D00C35C.50302@online.no> Hi, Articles mostly relating to maps and wayfinding. Google has two new applications WalkyTalky and Intersection Explorer Android Apps. Both sound very interesting, but have been able to find download page in order to post. So if anyone knows link address to these could you please send. Also if you have used either or both of these applications - it would be interesting to hear about them. Thanks. Lisa This is a project from a competition in New Zealand. So it is not a product yet - but is great to read about such projects. 2011 Imagine Cup finalists announced project We provide user-friendly software for caregivers to draw the map of a house and the suggested paths to and from areas of the house. All of this is achieved by using our software on a computer. http://www.techday.co.nz/itbrief/news/2011-imagine-cup-finalists-announced/18920/5/ article Waterfront Park gets Lions Club grant for signs The Louisville Downtown Lions Club plans to pay for two signs to go in Waterfront Park that will include a map of the park with raised letters, a Braille translation and tactile graphics. http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20101206/NEWS01/312060072/1008/Waterfront+Park+gets+Lions+Club+grant+for+signs article Japan hosts world's first rock-climbing competition for the visually impaired Nineteen contestants from Japan, Italy, and other countries competed in the 1st International Blind Climbing Competition. After memorizing the course by feeling a three-dimensional map, the contestants went at a 14-meter-high wall, grabbing onto handholds and footholds and competing to see who could climb to the top in a 10-minute time frame. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20101206p2a00m0na015000c.html article Museum offers braille maps The National Museum of Australia. Without the aid of a tour guide, people with little or no vision can struggle to navigate around the building and its exhibitions. The National Museum of Australia is addressing the restriction by offering visitors a tactile map of the building and its exhibits - many of which can be picked up and touched. The museum joins cultural institutions the National Gallery of Australia, The War Memorial and Parliament House in Canberra that also offer braille services. http://www.byronnews.com.au/story/2010/12/06/museum-offers-braille-maps/ article WalkyTalky Intersection Explorer Walking About With a Talking Android http://eyes-free.blogspot.com/2010/10/walking-about-with-talking-android.html Google WalkyTalky and Intersection Explorer Android Apps Two Android apps intended for assisting blind or partially-sighted users are getting some attention of late, with Google's WalkyTalky and Intersection Explorer both being praised for their useful functionality. WalkyTalky basically hooks into Google Maps navigation engine, but gives directions in spoken rather than just on-screen instructions. It also reads out the street names you should be passing, so as to help users keep track of where they're walking. http://www.feelandroid.com/2010/10/google-walkytalky-and-intersection-explorer-android-apps/ http://www.projectmanagement2success.com/2010/11/google-walkytalky-and-intersection.html From fnugg at online.no Thu Dec 9 15:11:01 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:11:01 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Multimodal Maps for Blind People, Readot scanner Message-ID: <4D00F185.6040809@online.no> *Empowering the visually impaired* For steering guidance, a potential field algorithm provides the path generation. After calculating a path, the system instructs the driver where to steer to stay in the lane and avoid obstacles. The driver is told how many 'clicks' to turn the steering wheel via a pair of headphones and text-to-speech software. A mechanism attached to the steering column clicks every five degrees to provide precise audible feedback. Additionally, a prototype for a tactile map conceptually similar to a high-resolution grid of regenerative Braille was developed. The map literally places an image of the surrounding environment in the hands of the driver. This device, appropriately named AirPix, allows the driver to 'see' the surroundings and navigate safely through them. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:8-7eHYDkBBwJ:www.businesstimes.com.sg/mnt/html/btpre/registration/redirect.jsp%3Fdlink%3D/sub/storyprintfriendly/0,4582,411967-1289159940,00.html%3F+Additionally,+a+prototype+for+a+tactile+map+conceptually+similar+to+a&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk article prototypes A 3D Printed Map To Guide The Visually Impaired http://www.psfk.com/2010/11/a-3d-printed-map-to-guide-the-visually-impaired.html The Readot is a concept scanner that helps the visually impaired use the Internet just like anyone else. Designed by Suhyun Kim, the device scans text and images and converts them into Braille, so that its users can feel and interpret them. Readot can also be connected to a computer via USB to surf the web. http://www.psfk.com/2010/12/concept-scanner-converts-images-and-text-to-braille.html research Multimodal Maps for Blind People Multimodal interactive maps are a solution for providing the blind with access to geographic information. Current projects use a tactile map set down on a monotouch display with additional sound output. However monotouch displays present important limitations concerning usage of interaction technologies and presentation of information. For example, information can only be obtained by simple touch events and not gestural interaction. Gestural interaction on multitouch displays would enable new possibilities, for example indicating the distance between two points on the map, zooming, etc. For this reason, our project investigates the usage of multitouch displays for multimodal interactive maps. under prototype is a video of system http://www.irit.fr/~Philippe.Truillet/projects/cim.php http://www.irit.fr/~Philippe.Truillet/projects/doc/Poster-ITS10.pdf touch sensitive screens http://www.stantum.com/en/offer/technology-ip website Design for All http://www.designforall.org/ looking for answers http://www.iexpo2010.com/lastest-ada-tactile-news.html book Tippi and Lyndsay were invited by The Landmark Arts Textile Fair to judge the best book for the blind. http://www.therainbowweaver.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=8686245 From fnugg at online.no Tue Dec 28 09:23:32 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 10:23:32 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] bees, stamps, haptic interface, tactile models, Christmas display Message-ID: <4D19AC94.9010602@online.no> Hello, A few links to articles. Best, Lisa Colmenar's Honey Museum inaugurated The facility also offers interactive tactile equipment as well as a CD guide in Spanish, English and French. There is also a special guided tour for the blind. The museum will be operated by the Malaga Association of Beekeepers http://www.euroweeklynews.com/2010122785168/news/axarqu%C3%ADa-m%C3%A1laga-east/colmenars-honey-museum-inaugurated.html excerpt A dignified life for the disabled, no longer a dream! Accessibility can mean simple things, not grandiose designs. Ramps and lifts, railings, specially designed washrooms, visual guides for the deaf and audio signals for the visually impaired are just a few instances. In some countries, currency notes have tactile features that help the blind identify the monetary value. Subtitles on films and tele-dramas help the deaf to appreciate and enjoy those creations. http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=121062&date=2010-12-27 article perhaps a bit of subject - but neat looking interface. Looks like a finger of a glove Thimble: a Smartphone-Powered Tactile Display for the Blind Developed by Artefact and the University of Washington, Thimble concept creates an ingenious Braille interface for smart phones. Concept, shmoncept: if your "product" demo is all CGI'd screenshots and foamcore mockups, the Big Idea behind it had better fricking wow us. Well, the idea behind Thimble certainly does -- it's a Braille-powered mobile computing interface that uses Bluetooth, optical character recognition, and voice commands to create an always-on, web-connected heads-up display for blind people. (I'm sorry, can you hold? The TED people are calling on Line 2.) http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662939/thimble-a-smartphone-powered-tactile-display-for-the-blind excerpt Ventura College's Braille center at risk When a book comes to the center to be transcribed, it is first done by computer software, then diligently proofread and readjusted by certified Braille transcribers. The Braille is then embossed on two sides of a sheet, making the final product more compact. Some books also include tactile graphics: three-dimensional images of everything from algebra line graphics to human anatomy models, so a student can better understand an image that can't be described by words. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/dec/13/ventura-colleges-braille-center-at-risk/ excerpt Students create fort models for visually impaired visitors Architecture students from the University of Portsmouth have worked with the National Trust to create tactile models of Bembridge Fort on the Isle of Wight for blind and visually impaired people. http://www.designweek.co.uk/news/students-create-fort-models-for-visually-impaired-visitors/3021582.article excerpt History brought within touching distance The blind and visually impaired have been given a new way to reach out and touch some of England's history with the help of the National Trust and architects at the University of Portsmouth. History brought within touching distance A series of tactile models of Bembridge Fort on the Isle of Wight with descriptions in braille embossed on their sides will be available to help bring history to life when the fort re-opens in April, 2011. http://www.creativeboom.co.uk/south-east/news/history-brought-within-touching-distance-/ excerpt Popular light display scaled back this Christmas Four years ago woman brought her son, who was mostly blind, for a personally guided tactile tour of the many scenes, followed by a thank you note written in Braille. The Yules also found joy in "the many expressions of glee from children as they spotted the new item we created each year," he said. http://tdn.com/news/local/article_80b4da8a-063c-11e0-9683-001cc4c002e0.html http://bigthink.com/ideas/20027 Braille-Inspired Design for The Blind To mark the 200th birthday of Louis Braille last year, The Netherlands' national post service launched a series of postage stamps by graphic designer Rene Put , featuring typographic abstractions alongside embossed Braille text, making them legible for both the sighted and the blind. The project was a winner at the Dutch National Awards in November. http://bigthink.com/ideas/20027 From fnugg at online.no Tue Dec 28 09:59:46 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 10:59:46 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] John Gardner article Message-ID: <4D19B512.6020103@online.no> Hi, Great article about Prof. John Gardner founder of ViewPlus , inventor of Tiger. Best, Lisa Viewplus excerpt Technology helps the blind see John Gardner had a simple reason for founding his company, ViewPlus, which specializes in transforming visual information like graphs and charts into a format that blind people can understand. ?We had to do it, or it was not going to get done,? he said. Gardner, a former professor of physics at OSU, lost his sight in 1988, following glaucoma surgery. When he returned to work he found it was extraordinarily difficult to continue his career studying solid-state physics with the science and mathematics tools available for the visually impaired at the time. http://www.democratherald.com/article_c7b4ecf6-b0a9-5856-a104-23e6e52e1cb9.html From Lisa.Yayla at statped.no Tue Dec 28 10:40:27 2010 From: Lisa.Yayla at statped.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 11:40:27 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] touch screen, signage, poets, patent, Message-ID: <6CC588DF64F27444A0B9D05DDC2BA1A84A81E6F661@mail1> Touch Screen Technologies for the Blind [Video Explains Technologies Being Developed for Blind Access to Touchscreen Devices, Including Tactile Feedback, Screen Overlays & Voice Prompts] http://nexus404.com/Blog/2010/12/05/touch-screen-technologies-for-the-blind-video-explains-technologies-being-developed-for-blind-access-to-touchscreen-devices-including-tactile-feedback-screen-overlays-voice-prompts/ excerpt Innovation is sign of the times for Interface The Walsall-based company, which has used support from the Winning Opportunities in Walsall (WOW) programme, has launched a new range of specialist signs for care homes across the UK that feature instructions in Braille and tactile lettering with large illustrations to help guide blind residents and those suffering from dementia and learning difficulties.http://www.24dash.com/news/bill_payments/2010-12-02-Innovation-is-sign-of-the-times-for-Interface blogg Blindfolded poets tour Pappajohn Sculpture Park Here?s a cool idea from Iowa Poet Laureate Mary Swander: In October she took 20 undergraduate students from Iowa State to the Iowa Department for the Blind in downtown Des Moines, where two instructors blindfolded them and shared tips about getting around with a long white cane. Still blindfolded, the students headed over to the Pappajohn Sculpture Park, where they took a guided tour and were allowed to touch several of the works with gloved hands. They wrote poems about the experience, which have been produced in both audio and Braille formats, and they?ll read their work at a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday. Dec. 6, at the Des Moines Art Center. The poems, as well as a few tactile representations of the sculptures, will remain on display through early January, along with an Art Center-produced exhibition of prints by some of the PSP artists. Admission is free. The project encouraged students ?to experience art in a new way,? Swander said in a press release. ?The poems express ways of interpreting art without having seen it, and this project explores deeper ideas of art appreciation for all and disability awareness.? http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/12/03/blindfolded-poets-tour-pappajohn-sculpture-park/ article Microsoft files for patent on tactile, light-sensitive touch screen Microsoft has filed a patent application for touch screens whose surfaces can change topography so users can "feel" what they see. The technology would use ultraviolet light to activate special pixels that rise and retract, creating a textured display surface. The screen also would be able to respond to external influences such as touch, of course, but also light, electricity, sound, water and temperature, according to the patent application. http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/230023.asp link to patent United States Patent Application 20100295820 Kind Code A1 Kikin-Gil; Erez November 25, 2010 LIGHT-INDUCED SHAPE-MEMORY POLYMER DISPLAY SCREEN http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20100295820.PGNR.&OS=DN/20100295820&RS=DN/20100295820 excerpt Inside an isolated world Alan Lawson has competed in duathalons and with the help of an art therapist, he loves to paint, even though he can't see his finished product. ART THERAPIST: So what ideas have you got for a new painting today? What would you like to do? ALAN LAWSON (translated by support worker): Maybe a beach with waves, and then I want some sand as the next layer and then in the background we're going to have some bush and mountains and trees. http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2010/s3080894.htm article Renowned cheddar carver creates Thomas the Tank Engine in Kaukauna Families who stopped by the library had a chance to examine the new collection of braille and tactile books for children who are visually impaired. The 400-plus book collection was funded through donations collected by Kaukauna High School senior Chris Lehrer, who spearheaded the effort as part of an Eagle Scout project. "Most children who are blind or visually impaired don't have sufficient reading material," said Lehrer, whose sister, Brooke, a student at River View Intermediate School, is blind. "I thought it was great that we got that many books (for the collection). Hopefully, they'll have enough books to read for awhile." Waggoner said the new collection will benefit not only children who are visually impaired or blind, but their caregivers as well. "The parents can look at the book and see the book the way a normally sighted person would see it and the child can follow along in the way a blind person would," she said. "It's a major contribution to our collection." http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20101119/APC0101/11190436/Cheese-carver-a-hit-in-Kaukauna with a video about the book project Kaukauna Boy Scout builds braille library article Paris's Palais de la Decouverte is showcasing an unusual exhibition entitled Get Tactile, which allows visitors to explore their sense of touch. Travellers with Paris hotel bookings can check out the installation until March 13th 2011 at the venue and attendees are encouraged to interact with everything in the collection. According to the organisers, the show is family-friendly and allows people to look at the way their senses work. "The exhibition is full of fun and, with a wealth of sensations, offers a great opportunity for children in particular to enjoy the freedom to explore," they added. Attendees from nearby accommodation such as Hotel Des Arts Paris will find they not only investigate the physical sense of being touched, but also the concept of being emotionally affected. Unusually, visitors will be asked to take their shoes off before entering the display area, as this will allow them to take in all of the sense-exploration on offer. Admission to the exhibition costs EUR7 (GBP5.95), but there are concessions available. Opening hours at the centre are from Tuesdays to Saturdays between 09:30 and 18:00 local time and 10:00 to 19:00 on Sundays and public holidays. The complex is shut on Mondays. Anyone getting to the Palais de la Decouverte by January 25th could also check out the Marine Alliances show. http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=574643&Itemid=34 -Scanned by Exchange Hosted Services- From fnugg at online.no Tue Dec 28 11:57:50 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:57:50 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] taTBAG, Solar System Message-ID: <4D19D0BE.1010701@online.no> excerpt text to , pdf, The Solar System A Tactile Representation National Aeronautics and Space Administration The Solar System A Tactile Representation By: Dr. Cassandra Runyon and Dr. David Hurd Tactile Illustrator: John Matelock www.nasa.gov A Tour of the Tactile: Welcome to a walkthrough of the Tactile Guide to the Solar System. Follow along with your fingers as we explore. The foldout describes a scale model of our solar system. It is often hard to show both scale to size and scale by distance because the sizes are so different and the distances are so great that it is difficult to combine the two. So we have separated them out into two tactiles. You will find comparative distances from the sun along the bottom of the foldout spanning both pages, and planet sizes on the right hand side of the foldout. http://www.pdf-finder.com/The-Solar-System-A-Tactile-Representation.html picture Tactile BookClearvision's initiative the Tactile Book Advancement Group [TBAG] offers advice and information on producing, using and creating tactile books.http://www.flickr.com/photos/ttge/5077923398/ http://www.tactilebooks.org/index.htm http://www.clearvisionproject.org/tactile.asp booklet downloadable pdf Telling stories through touch http://www.tactilebooks.org/making/telling-touch.pdf Making a Fabric Book (Word 48KB) http://www.tactilebooks.org/making/Making_Fabric_Tactile_Books.doc Prizewinning tactile books http://www.tactilebooks.org/competition/index.html siteSTORY BOXES: A HANDS-ON LITERACY EXPERIENCE *http://www.e-advisor.us/storyboxes/index.php?fontsize=normal&hicontrast * http://www.e-advisor.us/storyboxes/what.php?fontsize=normal&hicontrast= http://www.e-advisor.us/printbraille.pdf http://www.perkins.org/resources/scout/early-childhood/literacy-and-prebraille.html From fnugg at online.no Tue Dec 28 12:34:24 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 13:34:24 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] Sargy Mann, British painter, Dark Light, Blind art teacher, Legally Blind Kansas City Artist Has Art Show Message-ID: <4D19D950.2060902@online.no> Hi, Really interesting film and article about Sargy Mann from the Guardian, plus links to articles about artists, a recent art school graduate who is is blind, a blind art teacher. Regards, Lisa article ,Video/film embedded in site- really interesting- artist talking through his art and vision Sargy Mann: Probably the best Blind Painter in Peckham The British painter Sargy Mann was diagnosed with cataracts at 36, and went on to lose his sight completely. But in his mind's eye his vision did not fade. Mann found new ways to keep working and today his paintings, collected by Daniel Day-Lewis among others, are more acclaimed than ever article .... f an artist discovers such a "new" language of seeing, Zeki argues, then the receptors in the brains of his or her audience can't get enough of it. "The brain demands knowledge," Zeki tells me. "It is constantly on the lookout for organising concepts." Art directly feeds that demand with new ways of looking. Zeki is of course intrigued by Sargy Mann's condition, as well as being a longstanding admirer of his work. He has for a while been planning a series of experiments in which he connects the artist's brain to a scanner and ask him to imagine colour alongside people who are seeing it more conventionally, in order to compare the response in the colour centre of the brain, known as V4. "This would bear on a more general question, in which I'm also looking at whether mathematicians use a mathematical part of the brain, or literary people have a more developed literary area," he tells me. "In Sargy's case it is possible that the increased activity may be elsewhere and not in the colour area, that the brain has found a different way of doing it." .... http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/nov/21/sargy-mann-blind-painter-tim-adams Dark Light: The Art of Blind Photographers http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-leifer/dark-light-the-art-of-bli_b_782924.html http://thehandiestone.typepad.com/blog/2010/11/hbo-documentary-dark-light-the-art-of-blind-photographers.html article Blind art teacher shares creative vision Clarence "Chick" Blumberg studies a pencil drawing of a tree. He leans close and peers at it with the help of a compact rectangular magnifying glass. "Why is it so light, so pale?" he asks the budding artist Harry Overbaugh, 87, of Hilltown. "It doesn't have any values." http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer/the_intelligencer_news_details/article/2504/2010/november/12/blind-art-teacher-shares-creative-vision.html article Legally Blind Kansas City Artist Has Art Show! Gladstone Arts Commission presents Fixing Apart the Pieces new work by Stephen C. Proski PRLog (Press Release) -- Nov 19, 2010 -- Legally blind Artist, Stephen C. Proski who recently graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute is having his most recent work unveiled at the City of Gladstone Community Center on December 7, 2010 between 6PM to 8PM http://www.prlog.org/11085083-legally-blind-kansas-city-artist-has-art-show.html http://www.myartspace.com/artistInfo.do?populatinglist=home&subscriberid=4gag9varva3mjj64 From fnugg at online.no Wed Dec 29 11:09:55 2010 From: fnugg at online.no (fnugg at online.no) Date: Wed, 29 Dec 2010 12:09:55 +0100 Subject: [Artbeyondsightmuseums] photography, youtube videos Message-ID: <4D1B1703.5030005@online.no> Hi, A lot of links on youtube about photography. Lots more but starting with these. And an interesting video about a office tactile adapter. Regards, Lisa unsure about this one Photography for the Visually Impaired http://intheabsenceofmemory.blogspot.com/ blog An Artist with no Eyes (The Blind Painter): Video http://scitechie.com/12/an-artist-with-no-eyes-the-blind-painter-video/ article One Colorado Artist According to those who are teaching at guide dogs school for the blind, they do not favor any one student but there is a picture of one graduate which was hung on the wall just recently. Helping out a woman from Denver, Colorado is Jeannie the golden retriever and she is the one in the portrait. Several years has already passed since the artist who did this portrait lost her ability to see http://pikibook.com/one-colorado-artist http://www.differentblogging.com/challenges-for-one-lady-artist/ excerpt Thief Steals Paintings From Visually Impaired Artist Steubenville police are searching for the person who stole several paintings from a visually impaired artist. With Christmas just days away, Pennie Brechbiel said she was planning on giving the paintings as gifts. She said, because she is legally blind, the paintings are a symbol of her healing. "It was a large part of therapy in helping me resolve many, many losses," Brechbiel said. One particular painting, titled "Betrayed Trust," is particularly special to her. The painting is of a bar that she helped her father build years ago, and she said the work only took her three hours. Normally, it takes her about eight hours for each painting. http://www.wtov9.com/news/26250554/detail.html links The Blind Buzz on Photography http://thebatchannel.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/the-blind-buzz-on-photography-38/ An Insight into my world of photography | Blinkie Photography http://blinkiephotography.com.au/2010/10/31/an-insight-into-my-world-of-photography/ youtube videos Blind Photography photographers talking about their art http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eKe86QC37Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyiWoY7ye38&NR=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAESnPNAOrE&feature=related CNN report http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eap9mfdVf8Y&NR=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME7858o7wm8&NR=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMDBntRPuTg&feature=related The Blind Click youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBrRKn5n-fs&feature=related The Blind Click site http://www.theblindclick.com/ See What I See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhBwhNPSfG4&feature=related ITV Fixers - Visually impaired photographers from RNC share their vision in pictures http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1qvcNrmhz8&feature=related Office Adapter a bit off topic but pretty neat JETS NEDC: The Tactile Office Phone Adapter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qA4SYTIq7Y&feature=related